By Michael Rushton, Contributing NFL Editor -- (Sports Network) - The Chicago Bears are returning home from a three-game road trip a little worse off then when they left the Windy City. Hoping to keep pace in the NFC North, the Bears play the first of three straight at Soldier Field this Sunday, starting with a test versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Chicago went 1-2 on its recent trip, sandwiching a pair of division losses around a win in St. Louis. The Bears ended the trek with a 34-14 setback in Minnesota to fall to 6-6 on the season and a game back of the Vikings for first place in the standings.

The turning point of last Sunday's loss came late in the second quarter. Up 7-3, Chicago found itself at the Vikings' one-yard line but couldn't punch it in on four plays. Minnesota quarterback Gus Frerotte then connected with Bernard Berrian for a 99-yard touchdown pass on the Vikings' first play after the turnover on downs, and the Bears never recovered.

Chicago, which hasn't played at home since a November 9 loss to Tennessee, begins its second three-game homestand of the year. The Bears went 2-1 on a similar stretch from October 19-November 9, a period that also included the bye week.

The loss to Minnesota also denied Chicago, which is 699-514-42 lifetime, its 700th win -- including playoffs -- in club history. No team has ever reached that mark in league history. Interestingly enough, the franchise's 600th win came against Jacksonville on October 15, 1995.

The Jaguars, losers of three straight and five of six, began a stretch last Monday night of four games in 18 days. Things didn't get off to such a great start, as the 4-8 club fell to Houston, 30-17, in the Texans' Monday Night Football debut.

Jacksonville, which hosts Green Bay next Thursday before entertaining Indianapolis on December 18, did see running back Fred Taylor reach a milestone on Monday. His touchdown run in the loss was his 70th career score with the franchise, passing Jimmy Smith's club record of 69 touchdowns.

Taylor also boosted his career rushing yards total to 11,218, leaving him just 19 yards shy of O.J. Simpson for 17th place on the NFL's all-time list. Taylor is also a mere 24 yards short of 16th-place Corey Dillon.

A loss by the Jaguars, who went 11-5 a year ago, this weekend will clinch their first losing season since going 5-11 in 2003.

SERIES HISTORY

The all-time series between the Bears and Jaguars is knotted, 2-2, with Jacksonville evening the series by virtue of a 22-3 home win when the clubs last met, in 2004. The Bears won the previous meeting, a 33-13 decision at Soldier Field in 2001. The Jags' only other visit to the Windy City came in 1998, when they edged Chicago, 24-23.

Bears head coach Lovie Smith is 0-1 against the Jaguars, while Jacksonville's Jack Del Rio is 1-0 against both Smith and Chicago as a head man.

WHEN THE JAGUARS HAVE THE BALL

The Jaguars have struggled on offense this year, as the running duo of Taylor (503 rushing yards, 1 TD) and Maurice Jones-Drew has only managed to average 111.5 rushing yards per game, good for 17th in the league. They combined for 116 yards on 21 carries Monday, with Jones-Drew (552 rushing yards, 11 TD, 43 receptions) accounting for 49 yards on 12 carries in addition to making three catches for 22 yards. Jones-Drew is second in the AFC in rushing touchdowns, and has six scores on the ground in his past five games. Quarterback David Garrard (2748 passing yards, 10 TD, 9 INT) piled up most of his passing stats late in the contest, completing 25-of-35 attempts for 287 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Garrard has had past success versus the NFC, having gone 7-1 against the conference as a starter. Wide receiver Matt Jones (62 receptions, 2 TD), playing with a possible suspension looming, caught a game-high eight passes for 104 yards against Houston. It was his second 100- yard receiving game of the season, and he has set a career high for receptions this season in addition to 727 receiving yards. Jones is currently appealing a three-game suspension after he was arrested in July for felony possession of cocaine. Wideout Reggie Williams (28 receptions, 3 TD) caught five passes for 55 yards with a score on Monday, while free-agent bust Jerry Porter (10 receptions, 1 TD) added two catches for 39 yards, including a 33-yard reception.

Jones-Drew and Taylor face a challenge this weekend, as the Bears are the sixth-best team against the run this year, allowing just 88.8 yards per game. However, they struggled against Minnesota's two-headed ground game, yielding 131 yards on 28 carries to Adrian Peterson and watching Chester Taylor add another 46 yards on 10 carries. Having already placed cornerback Nathan Vasher on injured reserve prior to last Sunday's game, the Bears lost defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek (29 tackles) for the rest of the season due to a ruptured right biceps suffered versus Minnesota. In addition, linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer (Achilles) and defensive end Adewale Ogunleye (shoulder) both missed practice on Wednesday, leaving them both questionable for the weekend. Cornerback Corey Graham (68 tackles, 1 INT) led Chicago with nine tackles last Sunday, while linebacker Lance Briggs (87 tackles, 3 INT) added eight. Defensive end Alex Brown (32 tackles) posted a sack in his second straight game last week, while defensive tackle Tommie Harris (25 tackles) notched his third sack in the past two games. Brown and Harris are tied for the club lead with five sacks each. Safety Kevin Payne (69 tackles, 1 sack) recorded his team-best fourth interception in the loss.

WHEN THE BEARS HAVE THE BALL

Quarterback Kyle Orton (2195 passing yards, 13 TD, 7 INT) completed 11-of-29 pass attempts for 153 yards with two touchdowns in the loss to Minnesota. He was also picked off three times, with his first interception ending his franchise-best streak of 205 pass attempts without an INT, a run that began back in Week 4. Running back Matt Forte (1012 rushing yards, 48 receptions, 10 total TD) ran for 96 yards and caught a TD pass, but failed twice to cross the goal line on Chicago's key second-quarter failure. Forte, though, leads all rookies and is third overall in the league with 1,370 yards from scrimmage, and needs just two receptions to join Walter Payton and Neal Anderson as the only backs in team history to rush over 1,000 yards and catch 50 passes in the same season. He is also a mere four yards behind Gale Sayers' rookie record of 1,374 yards from scrimmage, set in 1965. Wideout Devin Hester (34 receptions, 3 TD) made three catches for 67 yards against the Vikes, the bulk of that coming on a 65-yard touchdown catch. Brandon Lloyd, Rashied Davis, Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen all managed just one reception each in the loss. Wideout Marty Booker (11 receptions, 2 TD) has missed the last five games due to a knee injury, but did not appear on Chicago's injury report this week.

The Jaguars were tagged to the tune of 326 net yards against Houston, allowing rookie running back Steve Slaton to rush for 130 yards and a pair of scores. Jacksonville has struggled against the run, allowing 115 yards per game to rank 20th in the NFL -- good news for Forte. However, the Bears might look to air it out a bit, as Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis (40 tackles, 4 INT) will miss the rest of the season due to an MCL sprain in his knee, an injury he suffered in the first half of Monday's loss while defending a two-point conversion try. Drayton Florence (22 tackles) will start in his place. Mathis had an interception and three tackles before leaving the contest. Defensive back Brian Williams (59 tackles, 2 INT) and safety Gerald Sensabaugh (54 tackles, 3 INT) both notched a team-high five tackles, while linebacker Mike Peterson (61 tackles, 1 sack) and safety Reggie Nelson (35 tackles, 1 INT) had four each. The Jaguars have allowed 30 points in back-to-back losses and are 20th in the league with 22.5 points allowed per game.

FANTASY FOCUS

Forte draws a favorable matchup and has long moved into must-start status anyway. Mathis' injury should help Orton rebound, as would the return of Booker. Orton is 12-2 as a starter at home, but hasn't gone over 200 yards passing in any of his last four games. With fantasy playoffs beginning, Orton is risky start at such a crucial time, meaning Chicago receivers and tight ends are also hindered. Hester remains a threat to break one as a wideout and also returned to kick return duties last Sunday after not doing so versus the Rams in Week 12. Chicago's defense could be a nice start, given its success versus the run and the Jaguars less-than-exciting passing game.

The Jaguars' offense goes through Taylor and Jones-Drew, not a good thing for owners this weekend. Injuries to the Bears defense could open up some holes, so watch Sunday's inactive list, but neither is a sure thing considering the pair also splits carries. Like Orton, Garrard isn't going to light up the secondary, as he has just one 300-yard passing game this year and has thrown five picks to two TD passes over the last three weeks. Jacksonville's defense should struggle against Forte, but also might not give up a lot of points.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Bears really need a win to keep pace in the NFC North and can't afford to drop a game to the sub-.500 Jaguars. Forte should be the main source of offense and Jacksonville will have trouble slowing the rookie back down, but will it be enough? Mathis' injury will hurt the Jaguars, but the Bears are also banged up a bit on defense. Though Garrard has had success versus the NFC, a road game in windy Chicago might be too much for him to overcome. Expect Chicago to begin its homestand with a much-needed win.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Bears 20, Jaguars 13